Universal Orlando Resort has revealed new details for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, opening in 2025 as part of Epic Universe.
This is the final land reveal for the new theme park.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic
Guests will enter the land through a portal topped with a golden hand pointing a wand toward the sky, set atop a tall column. A Time-Turner will be positioned above the portal entrance.
In this land, “guests will explore the magical streets of 1920s Paris and embark on a new experience at the British Ministry of Magic.”
Names for the land’s ride, shops, and more were revealed via trademarks in late 2023.
From the rise of Grindelwald to the fall of Voldemort, never before have fans been able to partake in a single journey that spans decades of wizarding world history. You’ll experience Paris in the 1920s before traveling to the British Ministry of Magic circa the late 1990s.
Lucky for you, this story doesn’t end here. Ready your wands, because we’re about to travel back in time and uncover all the sumptuous details…
Entering the Streets of Paris
Your introduction to this new world comes in the form of a structure you spot from beautiful Celestial Park (the hub of Universal Epic Universe). You’ve been wandering through its astral-themed gardens when you notice a towering hand unmistakably holding a wand…this must be the portal you’ve been seeking.
Upon entering, it’s immediately clear you’re in a new place and time. Pass under the Phoenix Arch and you’ll find yourself in Place Cachée, a pocket of Paris catering to the witches and wizards of the 1920s! The bustling stone streets ahead are lined with shops, cafés and a series of banners advertising Le Cirque Arcanus — all beckoning you for a visit.
“It’s really a new look for the wizarding world,” explains Scott Verble, executive producer for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic. “This is a more refined, Parisian take.”
To construct this full-scale thoroughfare, the team took inspiration directly from the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise and even visited the sets of the second film installment, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” “We worked with the production designers of the films,” Scott continues. “For a film you’re designing for specific shots, but within a theme park — we have to be sure that it’s designed for any shot.”
Immersion truly is the name of the game. Scott and his team have been tirelessly working to make sure everything guests feel, see, taste and even hear is congruent not only with 1920s Paris, but with the experience of a witch or wizard.
For example, associate producer Cara Pfost Brown let us in on a little easter egg: “We’ve recorded these little vignettes and stories to kind of populate our French city with French wizarding people. So if you’re stopping by a storefront, you might overhear the storekeeper talking to clients or you might overhear some gossip.” If there’s a boost in language app usage around Orlando next year, you’ll know why.
Attractions
Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry
Experiencing the 1920s has been a dream, but it’s past time we caught up with some old friends, isn’t it? Let’s head into the Paris Métro-Floo station and travel to 1990s London.
Fans of the “Harry Potter” franchise have been able to retrace Harry’s footsteps inside Hogwarts castle. They’ve shopped in legendary Diagon Alley. But The Ministry of Magic remains one of the films’ biggest locations that has yet to manifest in any theme park.
“[The] Ministry of Magic has been on our minds for a while,” admits Kim Gritzer, creative director for the ride. “Every time we look into [building] a new ‘Harry Potter’ world, the Ministry always comes up because it is just a beautiful location. And I am very excited that we decided to do it.”
The Queue
Much like with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, this queue will be an attraction unto itself. “When the guests walk into the Ministry for the first time, that sense of scale is established, and that scale is consistently held through the entire experience,” Scott illustrates.
You’ll wind your way through various recognizable departments and workspaces… but more on that to come!
The Story
Shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts, order has been restored in the Ministry of Magic and Lord Voldemort’s followers are being held accountable for their crimes. One such accused is none other than Umbridge herself, and you’ve arrived on the crucial day of her trial. You board a lift to the court room and notice that Harry, Ron and Hermione are in attendance, alongside a new character, Higgledy, Umbridge’s former house-elf. “She’s very happy that Umbridge is on trial because she was mistreated by Umbridge,” notes Kim.
Along the way, we witness Umbridge wriggle free of Ministry control with the help of Death Eaters Yaxley, Carrow and Macnair. Her stated mission: repair a broken Time-Turner in the Department of Mysteries and restore Voldemort’s reign. “We’re recruited by Harry, Ron, Hermione and Higgledy to capture her and stop her from escaping,” continues Kim, “And then we chase her through the Ministry and have a whirlwind adventure.”
Argued by some fans to be even more despised than Voldemort, Umbridge is a notable and formidable foe for our heroes. She also happens to be Kim’s favorite “Harry Potter “character. “I loved her!” she laughs before clarifying, “as like a villain.”
Once inside, take in your Art Nouveau surroundings and follow the signs down hallways lined with white tile before you’re directed to step into a large Métro-Floo fireplace before you are engulfed in magical green flames (it’s quite easy dear, don’t be afraid). You will emerge at your destination and see that you’re no longer in Paris. A familiar and breathtaking grand atrium greets you and you know your journey has been a success.
Entertainment
Le Cirque Arcanus
You follow the banners to this first-of-its-kind live show, of course! Once the premiere showcase of magical creatures from around the globe, Le Cirque Arcanus has fallen out of favor. Ringmaster Skender seeks a reinstitution of the glory days, having finally accomplished his quest to obtain magizoologist Newt Scamander’s famed suitcase filled with the beings who would go on to inspire a seminal wizarding text (and required for Hogwarts students in Harry’s first year), “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
Walking into the theater, you instantly recognize that this show has no metaphorical fourth wall. You are a member of the wizarding community just like the people — and yes, beasts — who will soon populate the stage.
“How can we bring the guests to that circus and put on a circus-level spectacular production in a way that makes it feel like it’s real and happening in front of you?” asks Cara. The answer includes a combination of live performers, puppets and special effects. “Whenever things are represented on stage, be it a spectacular or some sort of beast encounter, we want to make sure that the technology isn’t visible, and the guests just believe that it’s there… whether it’s in media, or physical, or any combination of the two.”
Fans of the franchise will recognize familiar faces: a Demiguise, Zouwu, Kelpie, Mooncalves, and even Scamander himself are all scheduled to appear. But the audience will also be endeared to a new character: protagonist Gwenlyn, a squib and assistant to Skender. “It is the first fully immersive in-world theatrical experience for this brand globally,” offers senior show producer on the project, Kathryn Cobbs DiGenova. She also notes that it’s the most technically complex — from both an equipment and a performer standpoint.
Character Interactions
The characters of the wizarding world aren’t contained to its shows and attractions. You might bump into fascinating witches and wizards on the streets. The entertainment program at Universal Epic Universe has been elevated across the board in terms of innovation, technology and diversity.
“We’ve never been able to do as many interactions in a wizarding land,” Kathryn points out, “And we’ve never been able to expand the world through those engagements the way that we are here.”
Magical creatures will have found their way into shop windows, nooks and crannies, ready to interact. “We have a moment where a Niffler will just look you in the eye and shove a gold bar in his pouch,” chuckles Scott. Overall, the world contains some of the smallest animated figures Universal Creative has ever developed, as well as some of the largest.
Environmental Interactions
One of the wizarding world’s most charming qualities (pun definitely intended) is the breadth of its vitality. The fact that inanimate objects seemingly come to life in the edges of nearly every frame never ceases to delight. That will be the case in Universal Epic Universe, as well.
For the first time, you will be able to speak to various talking portraits and receive real, personalized replies. And you’ll be able to sharpen your spell-casting skills with amazing new interactive wand experiences as you explore the streets of wizarding Paris, interacting with fantastic beasts and revealing hidden surprises.
Restaurants
Café L’air de la Sirène
One of the more refined dining options, Café L’air De La Sirène will serve French-inspired cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The interior will be a feat of architecture, adorned with carved marble and art nouveau mosaics featuring stunning period interpretations of witches and wizards. Even the ceiling detail features thoughtful design of flora and fauna from the wizarding world. Improbably towering displays of croquembouches provide a glimpse of dessert while you dine on baked goods, sandwiches and plats du jour.
With two distinct outdoor seating areas, you can also get the full Parisian street café experience, which should be atmospheric for both dining guests and passers-by.
Bièraubuerre
Yes, you will find Butterbeer in Universal Epic Universe! This wizarding world must-have may have a different name in France (Bièreaubeurre, s’il vous plaît!) but that beloved taste reminiscent of butterscotch and shortbread can make even wizarding Paris feel familiar.
Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique
If you’ve been waiting to find out whether you can procure a unique French wand for all that spellcasting you’re planning, wait no further. Mais bien sûr!
In Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magiques, you’ll find delicately crafted, exquisite wands designed by Acajor herself. You may be used to the haphazardly teetering piles at Ollivanders Wand Shop, but Acajor’s establishment has a more refined interior befitting of her own elegance.
Specializing in different wand cores than her British wand master counterparts, she considers her wands works of art and only sells product of the highest standard. Ornate wand arrangements seem to hover in the air, forming a centerpiece above the displays where her signature triangular packages are neatly stacked.
A quick note for Ollivanders fans: while Acajor’s exclusive line is the main feature here, you will also find plenty of British wand imports.
Previous rumors indicated that new spells and wands would come to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter areas at Universal Orlando ahead of the opening of Epic Universe.
Also read more details for Celestial Park, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, Super Nintendo World, and Dark Universe. Merchandise inspired by each of the park’s lands is available now for purchase in the Epic Universe Preview Center, located in Universal CityWalk Orlando.
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